Sebastian Vettel targets third F1 title in a row

No doubt, we are in a very good position. I hope we do well until the very end to make sure we deserve the glory

Sebastian Vettel

In his 100th race he is hoping to join F1 greats Juan Manuel Fangio and Michael Schumacher as the only drivers to claim three championships in a row.

The Red Bull star needs to finish 15 points clear of Ferrari rival Fernando Alonso on F1’s return to the US after five years away.

The purpose-built Circuit of The Americas stages the potential champ- ionship decider, with Vettel ahead on 255 points to Alonso’s 245.

Even if Vettel fails he has another chance to write his name in the record books at the season-ending Brazilian Grand Prix on Sunday week.

A run of four consecutive victories, followed by a stunning drive from the back of the grid to third in Abu Dhabi 11 days ago, has left Vettel within touching distance of immortality.

But he admitted this season has been “a roller-coaster ride”, adding: “The only good news was that everybody had checked in on that ride.

“Sometimes we didn’t get the results we deserved, others we did, but we weren’t happy with them, so it has not been the easiest season.

“But we kept the belief from the very start and were never caught in a situation where we had to re-motivate ourselves to go out and fight for wins.

“Certainly, the fans have had the best Formula One for a long time. I personally would have loved it to be a little more boring at some stages.”

After winning 11 races en route to his crushing title success last year, Vettel had to wait until the fourth race of this campaign for his first win, and then the 14th for his second, sparking his surge past Alonso.

Asked to pick his year’s highlight, Vettel said: “I hope it’s still to come. No doubt, we are in a very good position. I hope we do well until the very end to make sure we deserve the glory.”

Vettel only made his debut five years ago and said: “It’s all gone so quickly. That shows me time flies when you do something you really like and enjoy. So let’s focus on the second hundred!”